As Americans prepare to honor those who served this Memorial Day weekend, many veterans in Central Florida are still fighting another battle: homelessness.Across the region, rising housing costs and ongoing mental health challenges are leaving more veterans without stable places to live. But one Orlando-area nonprofit is working to ensure those who served are not forgotten.Pathlight HOME operates a veteran outreach initiative called “Nobody Left Behind,” focused on connecting unsheltered veterans with housing and long-term support services.“We reach out to veterans who are unsheltered on the street, and we try and get them into housing,” said CEO Carl Falconer.For Falconer, the mission is personal.“As a military Army veteran myself, we definitely do not want to leave anybody behind,” he said.The organization’s outreach efforts often involve veterans who were once homeless themselves. Those veterans now return to the streets alongside outreach workers, helping locate and connect with others who may be struggling.“One of the best ways to find veterans that are out on the street is to ask veterans who have been out on the streets,” Falconer said. “They know where people are.”In addition to housing assistance, the nonprofit provides counseling, job training and other support services aimed at helping veterans rebuild their lives and regain stability.As communities across the country mark Memorial Day, Falconer said supporting veterans who are struggling is one way to honor those who served and sacrificed.“There are some veterans who obviously paid the ultimate sacrifice to our country,” Falconer said. “For us in the community to give some sacrifice back in order to make sure that these veterans get off the streets — I think that’s the real honor.”

ORLANDO, Fla. —

As Americans prepare to honor those who served this Memorial Day weekend, many veterans in Central Florida are still fighting another battle: homelessness.

Across the region, rising housing costs and ongoing mental health challenges are leaving more veterans without stable places to live. But one Orlando-area nonprofit is working to ensure those who served are not forgotten.

Pathlight HOME operates a veteran outreach initiative called “Nobody Left Behind,” focused on connecting unsheltered veterans with housing and long-term support services.

“We reach out to veterans who are unsheltered on the street, and we try and get them into housing,” said CEO Carl Falconer.

For Falconer, the mission is personal.

“As a military Army veteran myself, we definitely do not want to leave anybody behind,” he said.

The organization’s outreach efforts often involve veterans who were once homeless themselves. Those veterans now return to the streets alongside outreach workers, helping locate and connect with others who may be struggling.

“One of the best ways to find veterans that are out on the street is to ask veterans who have been out on the streets,” Falconer said. “They know where people are.”

In addition to housing assistance, the nonprofit provides counseling, job training and other support services aimed at helping veterans rebuild their lives and regain stability.

As communities across the country mark Memorial Day, Falconer said supporting veterans who are struggling is one way to honor those who served and sacrificed.

“There are some veterans who obviously paid the ultimate sacrifice to our country,” Falconer said. “For us in the community to give some sacrifice back in order to make sure that these veterans get off the streets — I think that’s the real honor.”